Cambodia late last week reported its sixth case and fifth death from H5N1 avian flu this year, according to the country's Ministry of Health.
The 52-year-old man had handled sick and dead poultry 2 days before experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. The man lived in Prasat village in Svay Rieng province.
Three children and another adult man have also died from H5N1 infections in Cambodia this year. The non-fatal infection occurred in an adult woman who did not report handling sickened poultry.
According to media reports, it is not yet known which strain of H5N1 was involved in the latest Cambodian case, though clade 2.3.2.1c, an older variant that remains endemic in the country, is a likely culprit.
H9N2 cases in Western Pacific
Three new cases of H9N2 avian flu were reported last week to the World Health Organization (WHO) from the Western Pacific Region. All three case-patients had poultry exposure.
None of the sickened individuals, including a 6-year-old boy from Deyang City, Sichuan Province, China, died from their infections. The two adult case-patients, both women, were given antiviral treatments and made a full recovery.
Since December 2015, a total of 133 human H9N2 cases, including 2 deaths (both in people with underlying conditions), have been reported to the WHO Western Pacific Region Office.
The WHO also noted one new infection caused by H10N3 in Shaanxi province, China, in a 70-year-old female farmer. She has been sick since April but is currently stable and improving. Hers is the sixth case of H10N3 ever reported.
USDA may vaccinate poultry
The US Department of Agriculture is considering, for the first time, a plan to vaccinate poultry against avian flu, Reuters reported late last week. The plan would include evaluating how vaccination would affect exports.
The plan comes after a year of skyrocketing egg prices in the United States after losses of layer chickens.
While egg and turkey farmers are in general supportive of mass vaccination plans, chicken farmers are hesitant that vaccines could mask the presence of the virus in flocks, and make foreign buyers forgo buying American chicken meat altogether.
In related news, Brazil, the world's largest poultry exporter, has declared itself free of avian flu in commercial flocks after observing a 28-day period with no new commercial outbreaks.
